Health & Fitness
Winners Announced in Backyard Photo Contest
An amateur photographer from Frankfort as well as a Lincoln-Way North High School student have been named winners of the school's Wild About Photography contest.
An amateur photographer from Frankfort as well as a student have been named winners of the school’s Wild About Photography contest.
Michael McNeil and Dana Mayfield, who were among 45 amateur photographers to enter the contest, will now have their winning photographs permanently displayed at the school.
“I am really excited about how this contest turned out,” said Lincoln-Way North science teacher Scott McCreary, who organized the Wild About Photography contest with the school’s Environmental Action Club.
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Their goal was to inspire others to rediscover the beauty and wonder of nature.
“ and Lincoln-Way North High School have been very progressive with the way they handle open space,” said McCreary, citing the naturalization of detention and retention basins in the Frankfort Square area as well as the restoration of a tall grass prairie at Lincoln-Way North.
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Knowing how easily the restored areas can be overlooked or taken for granted, McCreary was eager to capture the community’s attention by inviting them to submit digital photographs for the Wild About Photography contest.
Submissions were required to highlight the beauty of native areas in the Lincoln-Way North-Frankfort Square Park District area.
McNeil submitted a landscape photo he took at , an area of native Illinois grasses that the Frankfort Square Park District established in 1991. The photo was taken at sunset.
Mayfield submitted a close-up of a berry hanging from a crabapple tree in her back yard.
“It feels surreal (to see my photo hanging at Lincoln-Way North),” said the high school junior – the first recipient of the Wild About Photography student award, which was named after Lincoln-Way North High School Principal Michael Gardner, a former biology teacher who recognizes the biological importance of native plants and animals.
“Sometimes it all falls into place,” said McNeil, who was pleased with the composition of his photo.
He received the Wild About Photography community award, named after Frankfort Square Park District Director Jim Randall -- the driving force behind natural areas in Frankfort Square.
“Jim Randall and his staff have done an amazing job bringing Illinois’ ecosystems into our parks in Frankfort Square,” said McCreary. “It is fitting the community award is named for him.”
Both Randall and Gardner were on hand to congratulate McNeil and Mayfield on Feb. 9 as McCreary unveiled their photographs at a presentation ceremony.
“Mr. McNeil’s photo shows the delicate balance that humans have with our ecosystem,” said McCreary. “Research shows that natural areas reduce stress and provide kids with opportunities for unstructured play that leads to healthier kids.”
The science teacher and photography contest organizer praised Mayfield for capturing a beautiful photograph from her own backyard.
“Dana’s picture is a great example of how you can find beauty in nature everywhere you go,” he said.
“It’s a good one to get us started off with,” said Gardner, as he studied the two photos that now hang in a hallway near the school auditorium.
“Anything we can do to promote the natural areas is a good thing,” said Randall, who praised the Wild About Photography contest for raising awareness about our surroundings.
“This is a wonderful recognition,” he added.
The next Wild About Photography contest is scheduled to begin March 1.
For more information or to learn more about the Lincoln-Way North Environmental Action Club, visit the website on the project.